Sounding Off: Mahikeng takes the rap

Hip-Hop culture has been successful in spreading its reach, partly because of its ability to encourage its fans to express themselves according to where they come from.

The dirty streets of the American South have their version. Here, in Mahikeng, North West, we have our own Setswana rappers, who perform Motswako - rapping in Setswana and English.

Today is the fifth anniversary of the annual Maftown Heights. It is South Africa's biggest live music festival aimed at celebrating Mahikeng talent.

The event has evolved to become the most anticipated hip-hop festival on the local social calendar and features some of South Africa's best-loved recording artists across various genres.

Motswako, a hip-hop sub-genre that originated in Mahikeng, anchors the festival. Motswako artists rap and rhyme in a mixture of Setswana, English and other vernacular languages in a fluid mix that's always evolving.

The festival is a platform for artists aiming to "make Tswana fashionable", according to Jabulani "HHP" Tsambo.

Growing from a genre with regional interest, Motswako has become a nursery for some of the country's most celebrated hip-hop artists, including Khuli Chana, Cassper Nyovest, Mo Molemi, Morafe and Tuks, all of whom made their mark by rapping in their native Setswana, and who often feature on each other's albums.

The event also recognises other music genres and hip-hop artists.

In addition to the Motswako crew, the lineup referred to as "Friends of Motswako" includes top acts ranging from AKA and Reason to kwaito legends Thebe and Magesh. DJs are also thrown into the mix.

Some Motswako artists have collaborated with US hip-hop stars.

In 2009 HHP became the first Motswako artist to collaborate with Brooklyn's multiplatinum-selling rapper Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones - better known as Nas - on his hit Kelidimo.

This year Khuli Chana met Jay-Z on his first trip to the US.

Unlike his American counterparts, Cassper Nyovest doesn't refer to himself as a "nigger". He calls himself "a Pantsula that raps". He recently collaborated with US hip-hop legend Talib Kweli on Doc Shebela.

• On tonight at Newtown Park from 6pm. Tickets from Computicket. See www.maftownheights.co.za